Yell It From The Rooftops
by PyramidWalker
Summary: Sometimes you want to scream but you don't want anyone to hear it. Sometimes you want someone to hear your silence. But you can't have both... Rating will change.
1. Scream Your Heart Out

Disclaimer: Don't own Precure. Duh

* * *

Yell It From The Rooftops

Chapter 1: Scream Your Heart Out

* * *

Yukishiro Honoka wasn't exactly what one would call afraid of heights. It wasn't that she would bravely defy them, though they were something that were easy to get accustomed to when you were able to jump like she was. It came with being one of the legendary warriors, the Pretty Cure.

There was still something unnerving about her best friend inviting her to the top of a building for reasons yet to be revealed.

"Um..." the young warrior fiddled with her school uniform's skirt, having been rushed to this location almost the instant the bell rang, "why are we here?"

Kujou Hikari was also not what one would call afraid of heights for a very similar reason to Honoka's. While less unnerved than her elder companion, she was still certainly confused by their friend's sudden rush to the rooftops.

"I'm curious, too," Hikari took a brief look down the edge of the building before taking three brisk steps backwards.

Misumi Nagisa was not afraid of heights. There weren't a whole lot of things that she was afraid of, in fact. Right now, she was certainly not afraid of what she had summoned her friends to do. She turned to her two best friends and smiled widely.

"I thought of something great," she said, hands on her hips, "This morning when I was yelling at Mepple to stop nagging me to feed him, mom came in and told me not to be so loud."

"It was your own fault-mepo!" a small motion and voice came from a small pouch on her hip, belonging to the aforementioned hero of light with his familiar speech quirk, "You were taking so long! And no one said you had to yell at me-mepo!"

"Shut up," Nagisa grumbled. The short exchange elicited a brief giggle from her companions causing a slight blush to crawl across her face. She shook it off and resumed her declaration of intent, "So I thought 'what if I need to be really loud?' And then I realized that if I came up here, I could shout whatever I wanted right into the air and no one would complain about it! Isn't that great?"

"I suppose," Honoka lightly tapped her chin with a thoughtful look, "Your voice could easily get lost in the wind and we're too high up for anyone to hear us."

"But why do you need to come up here now?" it was Hikari's turn to question Nagisa, "Do you have something in particular you want to yell?"

"Euh..." Nagisa paused a moment and scratched her head. The blush from before returned, "Haha...I didn't really think about that. B-but we can designate this spot! This can be our yelling point!"

Honoka tilted her head at her best friend, "I don't really have much to y-..."

**"Hikari is my very best friend-popo!"**

All of the inhabitants of the roof were snapped out of their various musings and conversations as a squeaky voice had suddenly burst from the edge of the roof.

Turning to look, they were met by the sight of Hikari's close companion and the prince of the Garden of Light, Porun, hopping happily up and down near the edge with the biggest smile he could muster.

"I did it-popo!" he said proudly, "I yelled as loud as I could and I didn't have to get in trouble-popo!"

Hikari couldn't fight the smile that found its way to her lips as she walked over and picked up the tiny prince, "I guess when you have to be quiet for so long, you really do want to yell something out. Do you feel better, Porun?"

"Uh-huh!" he happily clung to his self-declared best friend, the intensity of his smile not faltering for a single second, "Porun feels great-popo!"

"I guess it does have a certain therapeutic quality to it," Honoka looked over to the side of the roof beginning to wonder if it was worth experimenting.

"It's good for secrets, too!" Nagisa grinned as she stepped near the edge and cupped her hands around her mouth before releasing the cry to the world, **"I ate the last of the cupcakes mom brought from work and blamed it on Souta!"**

Honoka stifled a giggle as Nagisa stepped down, "You're terrible!"

"He started it," the other girl puffed out her cheeks, "He blamed me for taking the last piece of dad's birthday cake when he was saving it!"

"Silly," Honoka simply smiled.

* * *

The next half hour was dedicated to shouting off the rooftop, falling upon the ears of no one but its inhabitants, all others too far to hear. Nagisa had quite a few things to yell although most of it – to no one's surprise and everyone's amusement – was about food. Even Hikari found herself joining in twice; once to say she lied about having lost her homework two days ago and once to return Porun's declaration of friendship. The only one who would not take part was Honoka.

The more reserved and quiet girl had remained reserved and quiet, though she had stuck around to watch, listen, and smile. While Nagisa was glad to have Honoka be there for this, she couldn't help but be disappointed that she didn't get to hear her secrets, her bottled up feelings, or anything she would have been willing to yell, really. Oh, well. There would be other days.

This was their roof now.

"Hey, do you guys think if I saved enough of my allowance, I could buy the roof entirely?" Nagisa joked as they made their way down.

"With the way you buy all that chocolate, I don't think you'd ever save enough-mepo," Mepple sniggered from Nagisa's hip, gaining his pouch a small whack.

"I think it's fun," Hikari said, still feeling slightly embarrassed from her own actions, "It's a little weird but it's fun."

"It was a pretty good idea, Nagisa," Honoka smiled at her best friend, "Good job."

Nagisa gave her a sidelong look, albeit not an unfriendly one, "But you know, you never did any shouting yourself. What was up with that? We all did it, too."

"I guess I just don't really have anything to say," Honoka's smile neither faltered nor shifted, betraying nothing, "Maybe another time, though."

"Ah, if you say so," Nagisa sighed, "But now I'm a little tired from yelling so much."

"You did yell a lot of things," the younger companion noted, "but enough to make you tired?"

"I also didn't get a lot to eat today, maybe," Nagisa scratched her stomach, "Well, whatever. I'm gonna head home."

As soon as they reached the doors, Nagisa began making a brisk pace in the direction of her home, "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Honoka and Hikari waved off their friend and parted in the other direction. After some time, Hikari turned to her older friend.

"You really had nothing to yell?"

"Nothing important," Honoka walked along, "Nothing important at all."

"I see..."

Silence fell over them as they continued until reaching Honoka's sizable home. Waving her friend goodbye, Honoka made her way inside and soon found herself on her own bed. Any thoughts that may have followed were interrupted by a light "poof" from her hip.

"Honoka, you have homework to do-mipo," Mipple's voice chimed from beside her head.

Honoka said nothing in return. Mipple's ears drooped sadly.

"You want to tell her-mipo."

"It would have been a good time, right?" Honoka sighed into her pillow. She slowly propped herself up and sat at the edge of her bed, "I do have something to yell, don't I, Mipple?"

Her answer came as a simple nod.

"Maybe...maybe tomorrow," Honoka mumbled, "Yes...tomorrow."


	2. Whisper In The Wind

Yell It From The Rooftops

Chapter 2: Whisper To The Wind

* * *

Alarm clock?

Unset.

Breakfast?

Missed.

Homework?

Unfinished.

Ms. Takenouchi?

Replaced by a substitute today.

Substitute?

Jerk.

If ever there was a time that Nagisa needed to scream something from the rooftops, now was that time.

It had been a week since Nagisa, Honoka, Hikari, and their fairy companions had begun occasional visits to the same rooftop for the sole purpose of hollering their concerns, secrets, or whatever they felt like at the time at the top of their lungs. It had become nearly routine for Nagisa to make her way to the roof to shout out her concerns, declarations, even plans for the day. Hikari would often go up, mostly to let Porun follow suit yet still kept her own outbursts to a minimum.

Even so, with everyone's participation and bellowing, Honoka remained silent. She would join Nagisa or Hikari from time to time, to watch, to talk, to smile and applaud lightly. But not once would she take to the edge herself. So it was a surprise when Nagisa stormed up to their roof this irritating day and saw Honoka standing near the edge.

Nagisa froze. She couldn't tell if Honoka had noticed her yet. She wasn't certain she _wanted_ Honoka to notice her. What if Honoka was about to yell something? What if she would lose her nerve and back out if she realized she was being watched? No, she had to remain silent. She had to let her friend finally express herself, even if it wasn't as private as she was hoping.

But there was another reason she was rendered speechless. She couldn't speak even if she wanted to. Something about the sight before her. Something about the way she looked, framed by the sunset. Something about the way her well-kept hair was flowing in the wind. Something about that certain sense of grace that Honoka expressed in even the slightest movements as she brushed some hair behind her ear. Something about the way her jaw...

Her jaw...it was moving. Nagisa gulped. This was finally her chance to hear her best friend's...

…

No.

Honoka's secrets would not be revealed this day. Honoka's great expression of self turned out to be less than that. Instead of a grandiose cry to the ears of those whom the sound would never reach aside from the tense girl behind her, it was but a whisper, lost to the wind. Nagisa hung her head and sighed in dismay.

"Nagisa?"

Nagisa jumped a bit and stood straight up upon hearing her name. As she should have expected, the sigh had alerted Honoka of her presence. Fortunately, her best friend seemed none-too-perturbed. Instead, she simply smiled softly.

"Ah...hi," Nagisa would have kicked herself for her rather suddenly stunted vocabulary if Honoka wasn't looking, "Were you up here to..."

"Just enjoying the view," Honoka cut off Nagisa rather suddenly, much to the surprise of all four inhabitants of the rooftop.

"O-oh..." Nagisa broke the silence quickly, "W-well, if you ever feel like it, you know..."

Honoka laughed lightly as Nagisa gestured to the edge of the roof and waved politely, "It's just not my thing. Maybe sometime, though. But it's getting late so I should get going for now."

"Oh...right..." Nagisa found herself strongly disappointed, "I'll...I'll see you later, then."

Honoka gave Nagisa another wave as she made her way back the stairs. Nagisa could only weakly return it as she watched her friend walk out of sight. With a heavy sigh, she turned to look to the edge of the roof. She didn't feel quite like yelling anymore.


	3. Talk To Oneself

Yell It From The Rooftops

Chapter 3: Talk To Oneself

* * *

During the long, hard struggle against the Dark King and his ilk, Nagisa would often take a moment to sort of review recent events to herself. It was something she had just become accustomed to thinking over when their fight had been as long and strenuous as it was. It had eventually formed into a habit of hers; whenever something unusual, interesting, or otherwise against the norm came up, she would take the time to muse over it. In her mind, something against the norm had happened this evening.

Lying on her bed, tracing circles on the sheets with her fingers, she thought back to it. To seeing Honoka in the sunset, watching her silently confess to the wind. Something that she would probably never hear.

'It won't go away,' she thought to herself, 'that image...What was so special about it? I've seen Honoka in the sunset before. But...when I saw her like that, when I was watching so closely, I couldn't help but feel like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest.'

Nagisa rolled over and sighed, 'This really shouldn't bother me so much...Maybe it was because I really wanted to hear her. I want to know what she has to say...'

Again, she sighed as she sat up on her bed and lightly smacked herself awake, "I guess there's no sense worrying about it."

"Worrying about what-mepo?"

For the second time that night, Nagisa jumped in surprise. She looked over to her desk to see Mepple in his more compact form upright and staring at her. Apparently he had been watching over her in her irritated state. She frowned. She was never certain about whether or not Mepple could be serious or if he would take the mocking tone he often did.

"Nothing that would concern you," Nagisa humphed and looked away in a pouty fashion. Too late did she realize that she would regret this.

"Nagisa's holding a secret-mepo," the hero of light grinned, "Or maybe she's just on her..."

In a flash, Mepple found himself hoisted in the air with a very annoyed teenage girl grabbing just above his face.

"Oh, cram it!" she growled, quickly inserting the sleep card and wasting no time applying it to Mepple. She wasn't certain what Mepple had said just before his lights went out but she was pretty sure it was something rude and offensive.

Another sigh, "I don't believe this," she muttered.

* * *

Honoka was very intensely interested in the sight before her. Or at least she wanted to be. Lying flat on her back in bed, she stared at the ceiling as hard as she could, willing it to flood her entire mind. Demanding her ceiling to shove everything else clear from her thoughts and take up all the space it could.

She wasn't doing a very good job of it.

In fact, she was doing an awful job of it. Failing miserably, even. All she could think about was her failure that night.

"I said it," she mumbled to herself, "just...not the way I wanted to."

"You can try again later-mipo," Mipple attempted to comfort her partner.

She wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"Today _was_ later," Honoka lay a heavy hand on her head, "So was the day before that...and the day before that...and the day before that."

"Honoka..." Mipple could feel her heart sinking for her friend.

Honoka turned her head slightly to face Mipple, "Why is it so hard?"

"Love is hard-mipo," Mipple poked her hands together, "Especially...um..._that_ love-mipo."

Honoka would have been offended if she wasn't aware as to how true it was. It was the undeniable fact that a girl in love with a girl had a much higher likelihood of being turned down; rejected; abandoned. Her friendship with Nagisa was just far too important to risk that. But she wanted it so badly.

"Hang in there-mipo," Mipple again tried to prevent Honoka's ever-quickening spiral into depression, "Part of being a Pretty Cure is never giving up...for anything-mipo."

Honoka could only nod. Whether or not she agreed, she could only nod.


	4. Say It Underwater

Yell It From The Rooftops

Chapter 4: Say It Underwater

* * *

"A hot springs trip?" Nagisa absent-mindedly pushed her food around on her plate while her mother, Misumi Rie, shared some news.

"Don't play with your food," was her almost immediate reply, "but yes, I've decided that we can use my break time on a trip to a hot springs resort. We don't usually get to really indulge but I felt it's about time we did."

"So you could say..." everyone braced themselves for the awful joke that was inevitably to come as Nagisa's father, Takeshi, began talking, "you really had to spring for a hot spring?"

A deafening silence fell over the room as Nagisa resisted the urge to slam her face directly on the table.

"At any rate," Rie continued, "it's this weekend so I want everyone ready to go Friday night. Nagisa, if you want to, feel free to invite a friend."

"Ah...seriously?" Nagisa cocked an eyebrow at her mother, "Sure, I could ask someone. Honoka might want to g-Ryouta, stop making that face."

Ryouta clamped his mouth shut and stared at his food. There was a certain level of killing intent in Nagisa's voice that he didn't feel quite comfortable contesting.

"Wait," he piped up, "don't I get to bring a friend?"

"You're not going," Rie responded, "You're going to stay here and watch over the apartment."

"What?" Ryouta almost jumped out of his chair, "That's not fair, I wanna go, too!"

"Someone needs to watch the place," Rie said calmly, "and you're old enough to. Consider it a test of responsibility."

"But..."

"Test. Of. Responsibility."

Again, Ryouta's mouth clamped shut. Again, there was a killing intent he knew better than to contest.

It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

"Sure, I could go," Honoka took little time thinking about the question presented to her the next day, "Though why me?"

Nagisa had accompanied Honoka to her home as soon as school had ended. She was very eager to ask Honoka if she was up for the trip at levels that even surprised her. Regardless, Honoka welcomed her in as usual. They were now sitting at the edge of the platform outside of Honoka's room, staring out into the distance.

"Eh?" Nagisa seemed equally if not more confused as she turned to Honoka, "Because you're my best friend. And Hikari is going to be busy with Akane this weekend."

Honoka's turned to her friend with a slightly flattened look, "You asked Hikari first?"

"W-well, no..." Nagisa scratched her nose nervously, "I wanted to know if she was okay with my decision...She was okay with it, by the way."

Honoka stared for a moment before smiling softly, "Well, alright. If grandmother is fine with it."

Nagisa smiled back before again turning her gaze to the distance, "I've really gotten addicted, you know."

"Addicted?" Honoka's look dove into a concerned frown, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Ah..." Nagisa caught onto her mistake, "N-nothing bad, I just mean that jokingly...I mean, you know...with shouting off the rooftop."

Honoka breathed a sigh of relief, "Don't scare me like that."

"S-sorry," Nagisa laughed nervously before shortly regaining her composure, "Either way, I've gotten hooked on it. It's just so much fun to do and it makes me feel a lot better after a hard day...I might miss it over the weekend."

Honoka simply smiled, "Silly."

"Am not," Nagisa puffed out her cheeks in a light pout, "You said it was a good idea, too."

"I meant it," Honoka said with a hint of defensiveness in her voice.

"Then why don't you try it?" Nagisa couldn't help but frown. It had been so frustrating just watching her sit there. She knew she shouldn't start a fuss but she wasn't one for keeping her mouth shut.

"I..." Honoka found herself racking her brain for an answer. She knew why. She knew full well. But try as she may, there was no way she could bring herself to let Nagisa know. Not yet, "I just..."

There was yet another brief silence. Though it felt much longer to Honoka. She wanted to tell Nagisa, she wanted to spill her heart out and call it a day. She wanted to do a lot of things at this particular moment; throw Nagisa inside, shut her door, cry into Nagisa's lap for a bit while yelling all kinds of confessions, then...other things, maybe?

However, much to her relief, the silence was broken by a sigh from Nagisa, "Sorry. I trust you so I shouldn't push this kind of thing from you. I guess I'm just...curious. No..." Nagisa stretched her neck back and stared at the ceiling above, "I want to know you better. I mean, you're my best friend so I know you better than anyone who isn't related to you. But I think there's always something new to discover about your friends."

Honoka was conflicted. As much as it made her heart skip to hear all that, it also was a crushing blow. She was indeed Nagisa's best friend; that was something that gave her incomparable joy. But at the same time, it reminded her that it's what she was; Nagisa's best friend. A friend. A companion who would never betray Nagisa's trust or expectations. And that meant not risking that position for anything.

Not for anything...

Not even her own desires.

And through it all, she smiled. For Nagisa.

"So...I trust you," Nagisa continued, "So if you don't want to do it, I won't bother you about it anymore." She smiled again, "But I'll keep hoping if you don't mind."

"Silly."

Honoka continued to smile.

* * *

The trip to the resort was uneventful. Much to the dismay of most of the car's inhabitants, Nagisa's father had taken to driving word games halfway through the drive. And he would not be deterred until Nagisa finally asked Rie for a very detailed and thorough description of the resort which Rie immediately and gratefully granted her. Takeshi had taken the hint and accepted his defeat graciously.

Arrival was just as uneventful. A simple check-in and dispersal between rooms, Nagisa's parents in one room, Nagisa and Honoka in the other. Nagisa had been quick to strike any thoughts of what they would do alone from her mind. It wasn't hard to do. She would be alone with Honoka for most of the trip, meaning she might be able to find out what was bothering her.

Nagisa was not the smartest of the team that the legends called "Pretty Cure," but she was not ignorant to the world around her. And that included Honoka. She knew it wasn't simply the rooftop shouting that was bothering her best friend. No, there had to be more.

Honoka was one of the most important people in Nagisa's life. She would have dared say that perhaps Honoka was _the_ most important person in her life. She was as close to family as anyone who didn't share blood could get. So of course she would notice when Honoka was behaving the way she was recently. Dodgy, hesitant, and smiling way too much.

It wasn't that Nagisa didn't want to see Honoka smile. But smiles faltered every now and then. Yet when not pushed by one emotion or the other, Honoka was constantly smiling at her. As though she needed to. As though if the smile were to melt away, there would be a hollow expression that betrayed her sorrow and anguish.

Nagisa didn't want Honoka to smile out of necessity. She wanted to see Honoka smile because she wanted to smile. She wanted to see Honoka smile because she was happy. She wanted to see Honoka smile because...well, because it made _her_ smile. And just as she wanted to see Honoka's smile...

She wanted Honoka to see _her_ smile.

Nagisa shook her thoughts from her head as Honoka stepped out of the bathroom in a traditional robe provided by the resort. It hung a little loose around her shoulders. Nagisa couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"You got the wrong size," Nagisa snorted, "You look like a kid trying on her mother's robes."

"They were out of my size," Honoka rolled her eyes as she smiled, "Anyway, we're at a hot springs, shouldn't we go try them out?"

"...Ah..." Nagisa snapped out of a slight daze she had, "Sure thing."

"Is something wrong?" Honoka cocked an eyebrow at Nagisa, "You seemed distracted."

"N-no, nothing at all!" Nagisa insisted with a big, goofy grin. She wasn't about to admit that the oversized robe made Honoka seem...adorably dainty, "At any rate, let's get a move on!"

"I thought I was the one who..."

"No time to talk!" Nagisa cried as she started to shove Honoka out of the room on their way to the springs, "Onward!"

Two light poofing sounds in the room they left behind followed the door clattering shut. Mepple sighed heavily as they vanished and gave a smug smirk.

"Nagisa is just so dense-mepo," he shrugged, his shit-eating smile not once leaving his face, "She really should be able to read moods better-mepo."

"You know what's going on-mipo?" Mipple gave the yellow fairy a surprised look. In all honesty, she hadn't expected the hero of light to catch...

"Isn't it obvious that Honoka is sensitive of her stature-mepo?"

Or...maybe not.

* * *

Honoka sighed as she gently slid into the water. A classic outdoor spring in the middle of the night. It may have been all kinds of traditionally generic but it was a pleasant experience nonetheless. She knew it wouldn't last, though. Nagisa would come out of the changing room, probably jump in without a care in the world, maybe even splash her, do anything _but_ relax.

And it would be charming. She'd enjoy watching it, maybe giggle a little. And Nagisa would laugh. They might start playing around a little, sharing jokes...

Then they'd go to their room and fall asleep.

Just like friends.

Honoka continued to smile.

"I'm coming in now!" Nagisa called as she made her way out to the spring. To Honoka's surprise, her entrance into the water was less than exciting. She simply slid in, quickly submerging herself almost entirely, her head appearing almost dislocated from the rest of her body.

"This is niiiice," Nagisa sighed. Honoka could tell that Nagisa didn't often come to hot springs. Probably because Nagisa had neatly placed her folded towel on top of her head. Meaning that just below the water...

Honoka turned away as her face turned a dark red. Nagisa looked over and cocked a clueless eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" she stood up and turned to Honoka, concerned for her friend even more than before.

"I'm fine..." Honoka slowly turned to face Nagisa, "I'm...fine..."

There was a pause. Far longer than they would have liked. But words could not be found. The moon reflecting off the water, the steam rising from the springs, the light sheen that glistened off either of their bodies due to the surrounding moisture...

They couldn't move. They couldn't think. They could barely breathe. Honoka knew this feel and she knew it well. She was in love with Nagisa. She loved everything about Nagisa. Her sloppy habits, the way she smiled, the tight grip she would keep on her hand, her chocolate addiction, her carefree nature, her boisterous attitude...

Right now, the horrid forces of nature were strengthening her feelings by emphasizing just how beautiful she was on top of all of that. Nagisa stood in the spring, the water just barely coming up to the top of her hips. Nagisa had stayed fit, even after the fall of the Dark Zone. Regular exercise, sports, and even a little training on the side had left her with a slim form with a light muscle tone but not enough to make her look overly masculine. She still couldn't escape puberty which saw something of an increase in certain areas but that fact escaped her mind at the moment. Nagisa as a whole had grasped her attention in a tight grip and refused to let go.

Nagisa was not immune to the lighting effect and the form of her best friend in front of her. When did Honoka become so...stunning? When did Honoka become so mature? When did her legs get...Wait, not important...Maybe a little.

Honoka had been sitting submerged to the middle of her chest. But she suddenly found herself unable to stay so. She felt her resistance falling, her walls crumbling, every pillar of restraint collapsing under the pressure of the desire rising from her heart and soul. Everything inside of her was conflicted. This could be the moment where she either destroys or saves their friendship. But it could be the moment where it grows. It could be the moment where everything becomes...more.

"I..." Honoka struggled to find the words as the two locked eyes, "I..." She tried again. She was losing control. She couldn't allow that, "I have...to go..."

She won. She was able to resist. But was it truly a victory? Was it a shallow win in the name of friendship? Or was it a failure? A dire loss in the name of love? She would not stay for the result as she stood and turned to exit the spring.

She would not get far.

Very little was within Nagisa's reach at the time as she lunged towards the escaping figure. Escape. That was the one thing she could not let Honoka do. There was so much within reach right now. So much just within her fingertips that she could only grasp if she prevents that damn girl from getting away from her one more time.

"Honoka!"

That cry was enough to get her to hesitate. Hesitate just long enough for Nagisa to reach the pale hand that she feared would escape just beyond her reach if she had waited half a moment longer. She pulled with all her might, seizing the moment for all it was worth, and brought the flighty broad back to her.

"You're not allowed!" Nagisa yelled as she spun Honoka around and gripped her shoulders tightly, "You're not allowed to start like that and then just drop everything! You're not allowed to keep me in the dark for so long! You can't...do that to me..."

"Nagisa..." Honoka was speechless. She didn't know what was going on anymore. She wanted to stay but she wanted to run. She didn't have a choice in the matter, however, as her legs refused to listen to her any longer. They listened to her heart now, and her heart told her to run away no longer.

"You're my best friend," Nagisa found herself sniffling a bit more than she really wanted to. She briefly let go of one of Honoka's shoulders to quickly wipe the back of her arm across her eyes before quickly grabbing onto Honoka's hand, insistent on not letting her go until this was settled, "I always want to be there for you. Because I know you're always there for me."

The hand that rested on Honoka's other shoulder started losing its grip as it slid down her arm until coming to a rest on her hand. As much as she fought it, Honoka couldn't hold back a moment of hesitation. But it was fortunately brief. Slowly, she took her weeping friend's hands in her own and began to tighten her hold on them.

"So let me be there for you!" Nagisa continued, her brief attempt to dry her eyes turning out to be a futile effort, "I don't want you to keep things from me and just give me fake smiles! Honoka!"

"I..." Honoka's voice was light but the words rang through Nagisa's ears like a sonic boom, "love you...Nagisa..."

"Stupid!" Nagisa kept herself from shouting in Honoka's face while holding back further tears, "I love you too, stupid! That's what best friends do! They love each other!"

Honoka couldn't help but smile lightly. Nagisa was pretty dense after all.

"I love you, Nagisa," she repeated.

Nagisa paused. Her own grip on Honoka's hands tightened as well, "Saying it more isn't changing anything!"

"Nagisa..." Honoka smiled a little more, not bothering to fight back the tears she felt welling behind her eyes as she raised Nagisa's hands up between them. It was getting easier to say every time. It was liberating, really, "I...love...you."

Another pause from Nagisa. The wheels were turning slowly but surely.

"Oh..." Nagisa's eyes widened, "OH!...Oh..."

Honoka lightly pressed her cheek against one of Nagisa's hands, "I love you, Nagisa. I love you."

"I..." Nagisa couldn't help but make one of those dumb little expressions she made when she realized how dim she was being, "I probably should have caught on sooner, huh?...Um..." she felt moisture dripping down on her hands. She may have been a little slow on the uptake but she could tell at least what that was.

"H-hey, stop crying," she gulped, "I...I mean, it's not like...I...Ah, jeez!"

Nagisa yanked her hands away from Honoka with one clean jerk. Honoka didn't have the time to be confused before she felt Nagisa's weight being thrown upon her as arms were quickly wrapped around her shoulders. Unable to find any form of balance or anything to brace herself upon, Honoka could only tightly shut her eyes as the two of them splashed into the hot water around them.

While she would have liked to surface as soon as possible, Honoka found that the weight would not remove itself. It was simply getting heavier upon her. The terror that Nagisa may have passed out from the fall quickly subsided, however, once she realize that she was being pulled from the surface. Bursting from the water, she was met by the sight of a now-blind Nagisa, the water having matted her hair over her eyes. Again, she couldn't help but laugh.

"I really just ruined the moment like that, didn't I?" Nagisa puffed her cheeks out, "I don't believe it."

"It's fine, really," Honoka pushed Nagisa's sopping hair out of the way of her eyes, "But...what does this mean?"

"Dunno," Nagisa shrugged.

"You don't know?" Honoka couldn't shake the worried look from her face. Even when Nagisa started to smile at her.

"I...don't know, really," Nagisa said, "But we can count on each other to find out, right? Together." She grinned and pulled Honoka against her in a tight hug, "But, um...if you have any ideas let me know, okay?"

"I...have one..." Honoka was already fairly red from this whole ordeal but she could feel the blood rushing ever more to her face.

"Eh?"

Nagisa was pushed away but only briefly. A pair of hands on her shoulders pulled her back towards Honoka, bringing her head closer and closer until there was a certain softness pressed against her lips.

Nagisa's eyes widened in shock before softening and closing slowly. Her first kiss. And it was with Honoka of all people.

They were both girls.

Honoka was her best friend.

They were naked in the middle of a hot spring in public.

Yet somehow, these things didn't matter at the moment. Nothing really did. Maybe the feelings she had right now. No, these feelings definitely mattered. She was neither repulsed nor repelled by the feelings Honoka was expressing nor the way she was expressing them. Something about it felt like it worked, like it belonged.

Nagisa's clouded mind seemed to be working on automatic. Her arms found themselves slowly wrapping around the body pressed to hers at the moment as she deepened the kiss on her own. Despite their nude status and the intensity of the situation, something about it seemed...innocent. There was less physical drive and libido involved in this kiss than one would expect. A sense of passion, longing, and in some ways closure.

It was some time before either of them pulled away. Honoka found herself mildly out of breath and couldn't help but smile broadly. Much to Nagisa's delight, it was a genuine smile, nothing like what had been covering her face over the past few days.

"I think you got the point across," Nagisa said quietly.

"I hope so," Honoka giggled, "but...we should probably head inside now. Before someone walks in on this."

"...Ah! We're still in the hot spring!" Nagisa suddenly released the girl before her and looked around in a panic, "I don't believe we just did that!"

"It's fine," Honoka lightly patted Nagisa on the head, "But...about heading inside..."

"R-right," Nagisa laughed nervously, "Um...Honoka..."

"Hm?" Honoka turned to leave but looked back at the redhead.

"I..." Nagisa smiled nervously, "I think...I want to do that again...If you want..."

Honoka again smiled, "I'd like that, too."


	5. Cry Into The Rain

Yell It From The Rooftops

Chapter 5: Cry Into The Rain

* * *

Nagisa found herself standing at the edge of a familiar roof once again. It had been a week since the events of the hot springs trip. The trip itself had gone off without a hitch. In all the time they had been friends, Nagisa and Honoka had never been so close or spent so much time together. The kiss in the hot spring was their first (in more than one way) but it had not been their last during that trip. And every time, it gave Nagisa a fluttering feeling in her stomach and a tightness in her chest that she constantly wanted more of.

The aftermath, however...

**Six Days Ago**

_ It was unusual. And not in a pleasant way._

_ It's not that Honoka was distant, as far as Nagisa could tell, but there was something off. Especially after the past few days they had spent being closer than ever. But now it felt like Honoka was right back to how she had always been. Like the best friend Nagisa had ever had._

_ And that hurt._

_ And the troubling thoughts this was all leading to certainly weren't going away as they approached the Tako Cafe the next day._

_ "Welcome back, you two," Hikari said with a smile and a bow, "Good to see you again."_

_ "Thank you, Hikari," Honoka returned the younger girl's smile, "How were things while we were gone?"_

_ "Uneventful," Hikari silently brought them to a table near the van, "How was your trip? Anything particularly interesting happen?"_

_ Nagisa's look brightened briefly. It was a nice reminder of what had happened and she was more than happy to share her newfound happiness with one of her closest friends._

_ But then her heart sank as Honoka said two simple words._

_ "Not really."_

_ Nagisa was unaware that her head was capable of turning so fast. She stared at the girl who sat across the table, completely dumbfounded. Nothing interesting happened? Then what in the name of all that was right with the world was that night in the spring? What would you call something like that if not "interesting?"_

_ "Oh," Hikari shrugged and took out a notepad, "Well, at least you had fun. Can I take your order?"_

_~y~_

"Nothing interesting..." Nagisa clenched a fist tightly as she stared out into the distance, "What was so uninteresting about it?"

**Four Days Ago**

_ "Hey, hey, hey!" Shiho was never a fan of respecting other peoples' personal space, which she made quite clear as she leaned directly into Nagisa's as the two of them and Rina ate together on the school's roof, "You've been way down the past couple of days! What's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong?"_

_ "She's right," Rina commented as she pulled Shiho back a bit, "You're not eating as much, you're not paying attention in class..."_

_ "That's not really anything new," Shiho interrupted._

_ "Worse than usual," Rina rolled her eyes, "Anyway, you don't have any energy and you're never focused during lacrosse practice. Do you want to talk about it?"_

_ Nagisa gave a sidelong glance at two of her best friends while she picked absentmindedly at her lunch, "I dunno..."_

_ "C'mon, you can tell us!" Shiho frowned._

_ "We're your best friends, right?" Rina smiled and put a hand on Shiho's shoulder, "Well, besides Yukishiro-san."_

_ Nagisa hesitated and sighed, "Well, at the hot springs trip..."_

_ "What are you three talking about?"_

_ A startled Nagisa almost dropped her food at the sound of Honoka's approaching voice. Upon recovering, she could only stare at the girl that was flooding her mind with questions and concerns._

_ "Something's been bothering Nagisa," Rina piped up, "and we were hoping she could tell us about it. Something about the hot springs trip?"_

_ "Oh..." Honoka fidgeted with her bag slightly, "I know what she's upset about."_

_ Nagisa gave Honoka a blank look, though she didn't seem to notice. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe Honoka just thought that what happened was something natural, something that was just..._

_ "Nagisa, you shouldn't let it get to you. I mean, in the end, it wasn't a big deal, right?"_

_~y~_

"Not a big deal?!" Nagisa's voice got a little louder. She started to feel a little drizzle lightly sprinkle across her face. Though she couldn't really spare the concern for it at the moment, "What wasn't a big deal about it?!"

**Two Days Ago**

_ "Nagisa, wait for me!" Honoka called out to her friend as she struggled to catch up._

_ Her words fell on deaf ears as Nagisa continued her brisk pace. Right now, she was in no real mood to see or talk to someone like _her_._

_ Unfortunately, though Nagisa would not adjust, Honoka did. A light tug on Nagisa's sleeve indicated Honoka's own increased speed. Defeated, Nagisa stopped._

_ "What do you want?"_

_ "What do I want?" Honoka seemed confused by the question but shook it off quickly, "Well, I want to walk home with you like always."_

_ "...Like always, huh?" Nagisa turned to face Honoka, allowing the other girl's grip on her sleeve for the moment._

_ "Well, why not like always?" Honoka continued to seem baffled. And it was pissing Nagisa off._

_ "You know why!" Nagisa kept herself from growling, "How can you even begin to pretend things are still just 'like always?!'"_

_ There was a pause._

_ "Why wouldn't they be?"_

_ That stung just far too much. Nagisa yanked her arm away and, using far superior physical ability, ran as hard and fast as she could away from the figure that tried desperately to call after her._

_~y~_

"How could you even say something like that?!" Nagisa finally started screaming into the increasingly heavy rain, "Of course it can't be the same! You can't just...just do something like that to someone and then pretend it didn't mean anything!"

She threw her lacrosse stick behind her and clenched both of her fists tightly in front of her, "You just can't! You can't just tear someone's heart out like that and then sleep soundly at night! Stupid! Stupid, stupid Honoka! You stupid jerk!"

The unrelenting, unfeeling rain gave her no sympathy as it poured down.


End file.
